A Simple Game of Chess
by PandaGrenades
Summary: Life would have been simpler if she hadn't accepted the job. But she did, and now, as much as she hates to admit, she's addicted. To both the job, and him.
1. Chapter 1

(I really suck at summaries, so sorry. and I DO NOT own Inception. Just thought I should say that.)

Life would have been so much simpler if Ariadne hadn't accepted the job. One more year in college and she would've graduated, but now with classes that were slipping out of her reach, she wasn't even sure she would graduate. She would have gotten a normal architecture job in France, Italy, England, hell, anywhere she would've wanted with the grades she got. But her life was flipped upside-down once the IV needle pierced her skin. Once she drank that champagne that contained the sedative. Once she helped a group of men alter the image Fischer had of his father. Now, Ariadne was always on her toes; always wondering if she could get arrested.

Of course she knew the possibility of her going to jail was slim to none. Arthur had assured her of that. It had been nearly a year since the Fischer job, and she still turned the other way when she saw a police car, or a black SUV. Was she ever going to get over this state of paranoia?

She wanted so desperately to call someone from her team. To ask 'When is this feeling going to end?' But she didn't know _who_ to call. She had Arthur, Eames, and Cobb's number (all under alias's of course) in her phone. She had scrolled until she found Dom's alias: Christopher, one of the most common names. She _almost_ pressed 'send' but quickly shut her phone. Of course he would be busy playing Dad.

Eames. Well, she didn't know what he would be doing. Probably picking up on some random girl in a casino. But Eames would reassure her and make her laugh. Hell, he might even come visit her.

And then there was Arthur. If she were close to anyone on her team it would be with him. She spent a lot of time showing him her mazes, he explained paradoxes and other things to her, and he even _kissed_ her. She though that was just him being cocky, with his soft lips, a voice that she could listen to for hours, crinkle eye smile, and sharp looks. Wait… why was she thinking about Arthur in _that_ way? He was just a teammate, and that kiss was just to try and distract the projections… right?

She convinced herself that it was and got up from her bed. She was able to buy an apartment with the money she was paid. She had enough money to buy her own home in Paris, but she thought an apartment suited her better. Her walls, desk, and parts of her floor were littered with architectural drawings that could only be achieved in the dream world. She obviously couldn't concentrate on the homework assignments Professor Miles gave, so she just gave him whatever drawings she drew and hoped he would understand that she just couldn't get it out of her head.

She placed her bishop on her table and watched it fall exactly the same as it did so many times. She shoved it in her trench coat pocket, grabbed her keys, and left her apartment. The fall weather in Paris always relaxed her. She inhaled deeply once she got outside, a cool breeze rustling her hair slightly. She walked to her favorite place to think, a bridge near a cute, hole-in-the-wall café.

She walked slowly, taking in the beautiful architecture of her city. She stopped by a street vendor selling coffee for cheap (not that she couldn't afford the best) and took small sips, feeling the liquid warm her body. She finally reached her destination, which was always empty, and rested her arms on the metal. It was maybe fifteen minutes before the sunset; she had gotten there just in time. She downed the rest of her coffee and watched the sun paint the sky beautiful colors before dipping out of sight. She smiled to herself and sighed.

She had no school tomorrow, and she really didn't want to spend another day in her room drawing buildings she knows could never exist. She reached in her pocket and gave her bishop a squeeze before taking it out and running her fingers along the edges and curves.

Her bishop was the one thing she could count on. She placed it on a table right next to her and watched it fall, a '_thunk_' echoing on the metal surface.

"Think it's too beautiful to be real?" came a voice behind her.

She quickly grabbed her totem and shoved it in her pocket. She turned around to find herself looking at someone whom she hadn't seen in a _very_ long time.

"…Arthur?" she said breathlessly. She was in shock; the empty coffee cup she held fell to the ground. Why was he here? How ironic was it that she was just thinking about him, and here he is now, standing in front of her looking exactly the same.

"Good to see you too, Ariadne." He said with a kind smile. He strode over and picked up the cup, throwing it away. He moved to stand next to her, his back leaning against the railing.

Her eyes followed him as he stood next to her. Then she realized how rude it must be that she wasn't saying anything. "Uh… I don't want to sound rude but… What are you doing here?" She mentally struggled to come up with a sentence that didn't sound rude, but settled with being blunt.

"Can't I just stop by to say 'Hi, how are you?'" He teased. She looked up at him and gave him a 'you would never do that' look. He chuckled a bit and gave a heart-warming smile. "In all seriousness, we have another job." She stiffened. "It's another Inception. Saito must have said something to someone, and you know how fast word spreads. But we're sure we won't get caught."

A flash of sadness passed over Ariadne's face. '_Of course he wouldn't come to just see you. He's only an acquaintance, not even a friend. You don't even know anything about him.'_ She mentally thought. She blinked rapidly to 'wake' herself up from her mental conversation and sighed.

"Arthur…" She paused. "I don't know if I can do that again" She played with her fingers, keeping her gaze anywhere but on him.

"What's wrong? Not sleeping well? Nightmares?" He sounded genuinely worried. She looked up at his face and saw his forehead adorned in wrinkles.

"Don't worry too much, you'll start to get wrinkles." She joked, trying to lighten the mood, and looked back down at her hands. She heard him let out a small laugh.

"But really, Ariadne," God, she loved the way he said her name, "what's wrong?"

"It's not really the right place to talk about this. Getting kind of cold, you know?" She shivered slightly. The moon shone brightly in the clear night sky. She noticed that the lighting the moon provided made Arthur look even more stunning. Blood rushed to her cheeks and she was thankful that the moonlight made everything look black and white.

"Alright, my hotel room?" He asked her. "It's a lot warmer there." He smiled ever so slightly.

"Why Arthur!" She feigned shock. "Are you trying to take advantage of me?" Her mouth formed an 'O' shape.

Shock flashed across Arthur's face when she accused him. "Wha- N-No… I-I just…" he stuttered and put his hand in front of him.

"Wow, the cool, calm, and collected Arthur is at a loss for words." She smiled and placed her forearms on the railing again, looking up at the moon. "Relax, I was just kidding."

She heard him let out a sigh and noticed his shoulders relax slightly. "So… Do you want my help or not?"

"Well, I have absolutely nothing else to do, the nights still young, and I have no school tomorrow. Take me to dinner." She said with a smile and bit her lip.

"Isn't it a little late for dinner?" He said.

"I don't think so." Her voice was innocent. "Why? Have you eaten yet?"

"Well, no. But-"

"Then let's just have a light dinner here." She cut him off. "It's open and it's literally twenty steps away. I've eaten here before and the food is delicious."

He smiled at her. "It's a date then." He walked beside her into the warm café and they ordered their food.

"So, what is it?" He said taking a sip of his water.

"It's nothing big, really."

"Ariadne." He said in a deadly serious tone.

"Well…" She started. "I don't know. It's just that ever since the Fischer job, I've just been really paranoid. Every time I see a cop car or an official looking government car I totally freak out. I know you handled everything but… It's stupid. Just don't worry about me." She felt her cheeks flush and she suddenly found her lap very interesting.

She felt a warm, big hand cover her own on the table. She looked up to see Arthur's face very serious and his mouth was in a tight line.

"Ariadne, you have _nothing_ to worry about. Trust me. If I knew there was _any_ chance you would be questioned, thrown in jail, or even bothered by any government official I would never have let you go back to your home."

She felt her cheeks burn again. "Thanks Arthur, really. It means a lot to me." She smiled meekly. Their food came and they ate in silence.

"So are you up for it?" Arthur said when she was done. "I know you've been having problems, but Cobb would kill me if I didn't come back with you."

"Can I have like, a day to think about it?" She couldn't make a decision like this without thinking it through first.

"Of course." He said understandingly. Arthur paid for their meal and walked Ariadne home.

"It was really nice seeing you again. And thanks for dinner." She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She noticed that he stiffened, but returned the embrace and relaxed. He smiled against her hair.

"No problem. Maybe you'll let me treat you again." He chuckled. She listened to his laugh echo in his chest and smiled against his expensive suit.

She pulled away and gave him a big smile. "Goodnight Arthur."

He put his hands in his pockets and felt his die. "Goodnight Ariadne, sweet dreams." He smiled. She shut the door and left him alone.

'_Jeeze, what are you getting yourself into, Arthur? She's a coworker. You don't date coworkers under any circumstance._' He sighed and bent down. He rolled his die five times, each time it came up a six.

Ariadne rushed over to her desk. She sat down and pulled out her totem. She placed the bishop on the table and watched it fall down. She repeated this at least ten times. Arthur just showing up just felt so unreal.

She finally gave into the sleep that beckoned her. She took of her trench and slipped into her pajama bottoms and a lose t-shirt. She climbed into her bed and drifted off into a sleep she would hope to be dreamless.

Ariadne woke to warmth on her face. She looked at her alarm clock, 8:00 on the dot. She usually woke up at nine, but her mind was plagued with thoughts of the job. With a deep inhale she reluctantly got out of her warm bed and started a shower.

Ten minutes later, she emerged from a steamy room, a towel wrapped around her hair. She picked out a simple outfit, a grey v neck t-shirt that wasn't too baggy and not too tight, jeans, and her favorite pair of shoes.

She had made up her mind; she was going to do the Inception. It was a quick decision, but she knew that as soon as the job was mentioned, she knew she would go through with it. She wasn't one to make spontaneous decisions, but this was her chance to make her drawings come to life.

She threw on an off white jacket and tied an orange gradient scarf around her neck. She figured orange would suit her best today, the day she made a rare spontaneous decision. She knew where to find her team, at the warehouse where they planned the Fischer job.

Grabbing her keys, bishop, and phone she left her apartment and headed towards the warehouse. It took her fifteen minutes before she reached her destination. She tugged on the heavy door. She knew it wouldn't be empty; at least one person would be there. And she knew that one person would be Arthur. But she was pleasantly surprised when she saw a different face lounging on a lawn chair.

"'Ello darling. It's been a while, hasn't it?" the British voice sounded pleased.

Ariadne felt the corners of her mouth pull up in a big grin, but she stood still.

"No hug?" Eames held out his arms, waiting for her to fill the empty space.

Ariadne laughed and almost sprinted over to him. She embraced him and heard him give an 'oomph' as she tackled him.

"I missed you." She said against his shoulder.

"I think you might be the only person to say that to me." He joked.

"I know, I surprise myself too." She let out a small laugh and let him go. "What are you doing here so early? You don't strike me as a 'get here right on time, let alone early' kind of guy."

"Couldn't sleep. Got in quite early, actually." He shrugged.

Ariadne let the conversation go and looked around her. "Where's Arthur? I figured he would be here."

"Missing your lover boy, are we?" Eames teased. "He just went out for some fresh air, but I think he just didn't want to be around me." He said with a laugh in his voice.

"Shut up, Eames." Arthur said as he took off his suit jacket. He hung it on his chair and smiled at Ariadne. "Good morning, I see you've made you're decision."

She let out a small laugh. "Yeah, I guess I just couldn't get away from this."

"Once you've experienced it you get addicted, darling." Eames said casually.

"Is Cobb going to be with us?" Ariadne asked, taking a seat in her old chair.

"He said he was going to be catching a flight tonight, which means he'll be here sometime tomorrow. He already knows where to meet us." Arthur was studying a file of the mark.

"So who's the Mark?" Ariadne said.

"You're quite curious this time, aren't you?" Eames said smiling.

Ariadne threw him a faux glare.

"Our Mark this time is…" Arthur flipped to the front page of the file, "Victor Starnes."

He started briefing her. "Victor Starnes is the founder of Starnes Co. They manufacture and sell weapons to many countries. Our job is to get him to stop selling weapons to China."

"Sounds easy enough." Ariadne sighed. "Has he been trained?"

"Yes, but he's only started. It shouldn't be heavy security. Mild gunfire. We should be able to handle it."

"I'd better get started on the mazes then." Ariadne said getting up and walking to her desk. She took out a pencil and started to sketch the city that would soon be built.

"Come on Ariadne, darling." She heard Eames's voice come from behind her. "Join dear old Arthur and I for dinner."

Ariadne had lost track of time. Had she really been working that long? She looked at her desk that was filled with crumpled papers that held remarkable drawings, but she deemed them too simple.

Blinking fast she turned around to face them. "Y-Yeah, sure." She got up, put on her jacket, and followed the two men out of the warehouse.

Ariadne walked in between the two men who were much taller than her and realized how strange she would look if people from her school saw her. She didn't have many friends, they thought of her as the girl who focused way too much on her schoolwork. Of course, her shyness didn't help. But to the few that recognized her outside of the university, the sight of her with drop-dead gorgeous men flanking her caused them to do a double take.

"Where are we going to be eating?" Ariadne asked both of them.

"I don't know, darling. You're the one who lives here." Eames said, hands in his pockets.

"I know a really good place nearby." Arthur said and made a left.

They arrived at _Le Grand Véfour, _a grand looking restaurantthat was bathed in rich colors of red, gold, and white.

"Isn't this a little… expensive, Arthur?" Ariadne asked.

"Nonsense!" Eames butted in. "As long as he's buying, nothing is too expensive!" He opened the door and let his company pass him before going in.

Arthur somehow managed to bribe the waiter to get them a private table away from the other diners.

Ariadne noticed that the waitress that took their orders made flirty gestures towards Eames and Arthur. She couldn't hold in her laugh as soon as she left.

"What?" Arthur looked at her like she was crazy.

"Our waitress is hopelessly in love with you two!" She laughed. Their eyebrows raised at her statement. "Put those good looks to use and get us a free meal!"

"She was not." Arthur said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"She was too!" Ariadne argued in a playful way.

"Well _I_ take that as a compliment." Eames said leaning back. "And a free meal would be just… peachy." He said with a smile. "Maybe you could get laid tonight, Arthur. It would be good for you."

Ariadne stiffened ever so slightly but giggled. Arthur just gave Eames a glare, and Eames laughed to himself. They made small talk while waiting for their food to come.

"God, this is delicious!" Ariadne exclaimed. She ordered lobster and white wine that complemented it beautifully. She hadn't had a high-end meal… ever, so it amazed her how good food could be.

"I love this place. I came here with Cobb and Mal once." Arthur said when they all finished.

"So, where have you been, Eames?" Ariadne asked him.

"Oh, you know. Here and there. Everywhere." He was always so relaxed. "I visited my mum in England for a little bit. Went back to Mombasa, gambled, drank. You know, the usual." He took a sip of his wine.

"What about you, dear Ariadne?" He smiled at her.

"School." Was her simple answer. "I've been trying to get my grades back up to where they were before the Inception."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Letting your job get in the way of your schooling, are we?" He joked. Ariadne blushed slightly.

"Are we done here?" The waitress butted into their conversation.

"Yes, check please." Arthur gave her a smile.

Ariadne could see the waitress melt with his smile. "I-I'll be right back." She smiled at him seductively and went to fetch the check.

"I can't believe you!" Ariadne hissed.

"What?" Arthur looked surprised.

"You're totally flirting!" She looked at him accusingly.

"No, I'm not." He was 100% convinced he wasn't. "I was being nice."

"Whatever…" Ariadne said under her breath and took another sip of her wine.

"No need to get jealous, darling." Eames teased her. "We're forever yours."

Blood rushed to her cheeks. She was not jealous. Anything but _jealous._ It wasn't like Arthur was her boyfriend or anything. He could do whatever he wanted to. He could date whomever he wanted to. But she still couldn't help but feel maybe just a _tiny_ but jealous.

"Well, my hotel is that way." Eames said, pointing to the opposite direction of Ariadne's apartment. "See you tomorrow, ladies." He gave them a two-finger salute and began to walk away.

"Thanks for dinner Arthur." Ariadne said, walking with her hands behind her back. "It's was really nice."

"No problem." He said. "I saw how hard you were working, so I wanted to treat you. Eames just so happened to tag along." He chuckled.

A strong breeze blew by, sending shivers up and down her body. Her hands came up to rub her arms in attempt to warm herself up. Then she found herself blanketed by a warm suit jacket.

"Wha-" Ariadne struggled to find words. "Now you're cold, Arthur." She began shrugging off his jacket.

"I'm not shivering, you are. Keep it." Was all he said.

"Keep it?" Ariadne shoved her arms through the too big sleeves. "Then you're outfit will be incomplete." She teased him.

"I don't mind." He smiled at her. She didn't reply. She was too busy taking in the warmth his body heat left in the jacket.

They arrived at her apartment shortly after. "Thanks again, Arthur." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, feeling no hesitation from him this time.

"No need to thank me." He grinned against her hair.

She started to pull back when she felt warm lips against her forehead. "Goodnight Ariadne. Sweet dreams." He muttered against her forehead and pulled away.

She fumbled for her keys in her pocket, her hands shaking. She managed to get her door open and said a small "Goodnight Arthur." Before she closed the door on him.

'_What was that all about? It was nothing, right? Just a forehead kiss that parents give their kids, right? It wasn't a romantic kiss at all.'_ She tried to convince herself again that it was nothing. And she wasn't doing a good job at it.

Arthur stood outside her door alone again. His brows drew together like he was frustrated.

'_What the hell is wrong with you? You know nothing can happen! You don't even know if she likes you in that way. No. You _know_ she doesn't like you in that way.'_ He shoved his hands in his pants pockets and walked off in the direction on his hotel.

Ariadne pulled out her bishop and placed it on her desk. '_Thunk'_ The sound relaxed her and she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. She climbed into her bed and snuggled against Arthur's jacket, inhaling deeply.

The strong scent that was on the jacket filled her head. The jacket smelled of clean sheets, cologne, and a scent that she could only describe as 'Arthur'. She inhaled deeply once more and welcomed sleep that called her.

(It's my first fic in a while, so be gentle! Anyways, I wrote this in about a day, and I hope you enjoyed it as much I enjoyed writing it :) I'll try to update as often as I can but I can't promise anything. Please review, I love reviews of all kind, even flames. Thank you!)


	2. Chapter 2

(Thanks for the reviews and favs. It makes me a happy little button :)

Ariadne didn't have school today, so she allowed herself to sleep in more than normal. It was 9:30 when she forced herself to start the day. She had to go talk to Professor Miles, to inform him that she would be taking another case, and she would be missing class again. He would, hopefully, understand. And if he didn't… well, she could always ask Cobb if he could have a talk with his father-in-law.

She was in a good mood for a Sunday. Sunday's usually meant more alone time with her pencils and papers. But now that she had her friends/coworkers back, she actually looked forward to the next few weeks.

Dressed in a white blouse that fluttered in the breeze, black pants, her favorite pair of shoes (of course) and a light scarf made of chiffon, she gathered some drawings she had laying around and placed them carefully in her messenger bag. She would give them to Professor Miles to hopefully keep her grade from slipping. She grabbed her phone and tossed it in her bag along with her keys and slipped her bishop into a pocket in her bag where she could easily reach it.

Locking the door behind her, she head towards the University. She paced herself just right so by the time she got to Professor Miles' classroom, his class was already out.

"Hello, Professor Miles." Ariadne gave him a smile.

"Ariadne! Good to see you. Dom arrived this morning. He called me and said I had to baby sit my grandchildren." He said, chuckling.

"Yeah I know, I was offered another job as their Architect." She said. "So I wanted to drop off some drawings so it looks like I actually did some work." She pulled out five drawings and handed it to him.

Professor Miles took them from her and placed them on a neat pile on his desk. "Are you sure that's the best decision? I know that your grades are slipping…" He sounded like he was her grandfather, not her professor.

"Yeah, I know that there are risks, but I don't think there's a chance I could get stuck in limbo this time." She faked a small laugh, brushing it off like it was no big deal. In reality, she was scared to death that she might get stuck in limbo.

Professor Miles raised an eyebrow and sighed. "Alright, I don't have the authority to keep you from doing something. I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into."

"Thank, Professor." She said with a smile. "I'd better get going. See you in a few weeks… maybe." And she left the classroom.

'_Easier than I would've expected, I guess.'_ She thought to herself. She headed in the direction of the familiar warehouse, which she knew held the three men she grew to like… maybe one more than the rest.

She tugged on the door of the warehouse; it silently opened to let her in. Once inside, her eyes scanned the room and noticed the two men she had eaten dinner with lounging in chairs with IV needles in their arms.

"Ariadne!" She heard Cobb's voice.

"Hey Cobb, when'd you get in?" She asked like she didn't know and walked over to him to give him a quick hug.

"Very early this morning." He pointed to two sleeping figures on a couch near Arthur and Eames. Cobb's kids were bundled up in blankets on the couch.

"Why'd you bring them with you? Out of curiosity." She tried not to sound rude. The last thing she wanted to do was sound rude to Cobb.

"I didn't want to be away from them anymore. And they don't get to see their grandfather often. So I convinced him to take a few weeks off."

"Yeah, he told me." Her statement earned a raised eyebrow from Cobb. "I, uh, went to drop off some drawings for class because I won't be there because of the case."

Cobb nodded his head once.

"What are they doing?" She asked Cobb.

"Just going over the specifics of the case."

"Well… why do they have to dream to do that?" She asked.

"To get used to it again. It's been a year since we've entered someone's dream, so it takes a few times to get used to it again."

His explanation made sense to her. That means she would have to hook up to the suitcase machine again, something that she feared would trigger past memories involving Mal. She shuddered a bit but sat on a lawn chair with her sketchbook. Cobb was at his desk carefully thinking about how many dreams they were going to be going through.

The suitcase made a hissing noise before the pillars slowly moved upwards.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauties." Ariadne said when she noticed their eyes open.

"Morning, dear." Eames greeted her first.

"Morning." Arthur said softly.

"Oh, I have a question." Three pairs of eyes were on her. "Are we using sedatives?"

"Yes." Cobb answered. "But a weaker one this time."

"So what are the chances of us getting stuck in limbo this time?"

"Slim to none. _If_ everything goes to plan." Cobb said quickly glancing to Arthur. Eames smirked and picked up his newspaper.

Hours passed without much talking. The Starnes case was early in planning, so before the official plans were to be discussed, they had to clear everything up first. That left Eames with not much to do… but bug Arthur and Ariadne. He wouldn't go near Cobb; knowing his temper, he was smart not to.

Ariadne noticed one thing out of ordinary: Arthur was too quiet. She caught herself sneaking glimpses of him whenever Eames wasn't around. The last thing she needed was Eames bugging her with questions like, 'So when are you two going to tell us that you're dating?' or, 'It's about time Arthur found himself a lover!'

So she would wait, at least until they went out for dinner, to ask him what was wrong. She would be almost certain he would walk her home, again, then she would ask him. Until then, it was a waiting game. Cobb eventually went off with his children, sightseeing and such. He didn't really need to be around.

Ariadne sketched out another potential maze. With a sigh, she tore out the piece of paper and crumpled it. Taking aim at the trashcan fifteen feet away from her the shot the paper like she would a basketball. She missed… again. The area around the trashcan was littered with crumpled papers.

"No offense, darling, but you have absolutely horrible aim." Eames voice came from the chain behind her.

"We're not all basketball stars here, Eames." Ariadne shot back. "And yes, I do take offense." She shot him a faux scowl before turning back to her sketchpad. Drawing after drawing, none of them lived up to her expectations. The piles around the trashcan began to get larger and larger. "I only made one shot!" She said almost a little too loudly for just talking to Eames.

She heard Eames chuckle, and then Arthur joined him. Up until now, she hadn't heard a sound out of him, except the occasional, 'Shut up Eames. Unlike you, I actually have work to do.' and the shuffling of papers.

"What are you laughing about?" She asked him in a playful, accusingly way.

"Me? Oh, nothing." A ghost of a smile was on his lips and he turned back to his work.

Ariadne gave a '_humph_' and sketched a picture of her bridge. A brilliant thought crossed her mind as she crumpled the sketch up. A devilish grin was displayed on her lips as she turned around to face Arthur, whose head was drowning in his papers. She took careful aim and threw the wad of paper. _'Thud_', right on the mark. She grinned and turned around quickly. Sure, she was acting childish, but she needed to relax a bit. Hell, _everyone _needed to relax.

"_Very _funny, Ariadne." She heard Arthur stress the 'very'.

"Oh lighten up, Arthur." Ariadne teased him. "It's almost dinner time, anyways."

"Finally!" Eames said. "I can't begin to tell you how _boring_ it's been watching you two work all day."

"Oh _please_ Eames," Ariadne rolled her eyes at him. "I can give you an accurate description of your day: Wake up, get dressed, coffee, come to the warehouse, take an hour nap, bug Arthur, read the paper, taunt me, nap again, shoot papers with me, and sleep… _again._"

"Ouch Ariadne, darling." Eames brought up his hand to his heart. "When did you become so much like Arthur?" He feigned hurt.

"Oh please." She laughed. "Let's go get some food."

Again, the trio ate dinner at a pricey restaurant. Eames, surprisingly, paid for their meal.

The air around them was carefree, but Ariadne noticed a little bit of tension between her and Arthur. She tried to brush it off, but in the back of her mind it bugged her. What happened? What did she do? No. She didn't do anything. _He _was the one who kissed her, both on the lips and the forehead. She didn't ask for that. Ariadne could feel herself getting more and more frustrated the more she thought about it.

"Everything alright, love?" Eames put one if his big hands on her shoulders.

"Uh… yeah. Just… thinking about the... the mazes." She reassured him. "I think I'd better head home. Today was draining, to say the least." She took one more sip of her wine, stood up, and walked out of the pricey restaurant with her boys.

"Night, love. Hope you sleep well." Eames pulled her into a hug and let her go.

"Thanks for dinner." Arthur said in a fake British accent and gave him a two-finger salute goodbye.

As soon as Eames walked away Ariadne turned to Arthur. She was anxious to ask him what was wrong, if she did anything to upset him. She started to walk in the direction of her apartment but stopped when she didn't hear his footsteps.

"Arthur?" She turned around to see him standing where he said goodbye to Eames. "Is something wrong?"

"Uh. No," He started to say, "It's just that, I'm really tired, so I think I'm going to head over to my hotel." He looked uncomfortable letting her walk home by herself.

Ariadne's face fell slightly, just enough for him to notice.

"Is that alright with you?" He asked and approached her.

"Y-Yeah. I used to walk home by myself all the time. And it isn't _that_ late. I'll be fine." She put a fake smile on her face, hoping to fool him, but failing.

"Good night Ariadne." He said, his hands in his pockets. "See you tomorrow." And he walked away.

"What the heck just happened?" Ariadne whispered to herself as soon as he was out of sight. She clutched her bishop so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Not even a hug?" As much as she hated it, she could feel tears forming in her eyes.

Ariadne was _never_ one to cry. When she was mad or frustrated, she threw things, broke thing, and was a bitch to everyone. But this was different. Someone whom she cared for had toyed with her. She wanted a relationship with that someone. And it hurt; it hurt bad. Her heart ached. She slammed the front door of her apartment and dived onto her bed.

She ignored the ringing of her cell phone. She lay down on her comfortable bed, staring at her ceiling. She only allowed one tear to fall from her eyes. She refused to cry over some boy who made it painfully clear he wasn't interested.

"I thought I read all the signs correctly…" She was talking to herself. "I could have sworn…" her bishop in her hands she quickly placed it on her nightstand and watched it fall. She grabbed it and turned over on her bed, not even bothering to change. Her phone rang once more so she picked it up and saw it was Arthur calling. She hit the _ignore_ button and turned off her phone.

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'_Hey this is Ariadne. Call back!'_

"Damnit!" Arthur hit end and threw his phone on the other bed. "You're such a… a dick! How could you just let her walk home alone?" Arthur held his head in his hands. When he finished beating himself up, he paced around his room. He actually thought that ignoring her would make the problem go away, but it just made things worse. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep, he took out the shiny silver suitcase and pierced his skin with the IV needle. Arthur hated relying on a sedative to sleep, but this was his only option. He let out a deep sigh before drifting off to sleep.

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Ariadne was seriously considering not going to 'work' today. But she knew that she had to. It was her _job_. She couldn't let her personal life interfere with her professional life. She would never hear the end of it from Eames.

So she reluctantly threw herself out of her bed and forced herself into the shower. She made up her mind that she would spend as much time as possible getting ready. She dressed in darker colors, representing her frustration towards Arthur. An inky black gradient scarf was tied securely around her neck and a black trench coat covered the long sleeved grey v-neck she wore underneath. Making her way to the front door of her apartment, she grabbed her bishop and phone and stepped outside. She mentally thanked herself for dressing the way she did; it was pretty chilly for fall.

Long strides and slow steps, that's how she walked today. Any other day it would be shorter, faster steps. But she was determined to take her time; after all, fall _was_ her favorite season. She took a deep breath, the chilly, slightly damp air filling her lungs and making her shiver slightly.

Ariadne was ten minutes away from the warehouse when she noticed someone not too far behind her. Her pulse began to quicken and she quickened her pace. Only a few people came this way; there weren't many shops or sights to see, just large buildings. She suddenly felt a large hand on her arm, making her halt.

"Ariadne!" Arthur breathed out. "It's just me."

Ariadne let out the breath she was going to use to scream. Her features relaxed slightly before a scowl formed. "What the hell Arthur?" She snapped at him. "Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?"

Arthur expected that sort of reaction from her. "Ariadne, I-" he sighed "I just want to apologize for last night."

"There's nothing to apologize about." She yanked her arm free from his grip and started to walk away. "You were tired. That's a perfectly adequate excuse." Ariadne knew she didn't have to be _this_ mean to him, but… she was frustrated! And there was only a few ways she could let out her anger.

"Ariadne." He was next to her now. "I'm sorry. I really am. It was very… ungentlemanly of me to let you walk home by yourself."

What? Ariadne stop in her tracks; she had never heard Arthur apologize to _anyone_ for _anything_. Not even when he screwed up on the Fischer case. But as shocked as she was, she wasn't going to let him off the hook so easily.

"Thank you for the apology." was all she said before walking towards the warehouse again.

She heard Arthur sigh and follow her. With a tug on the door, Ariadne stepped inside the warehouse. Eames looked up and noticed Arthur following Ariadne.

"Did I miss something?" He was reading a newspaper. "Since when were you two a couple?" he looked at Ariadne, who just ignored him.

"Not today, Eames." Arthur warned him before going to his desk. He had made up his mind that he would set things straight with Ariadne tonight. But until then, he would have to put up with her ignoring him.

"Where's Cobb?" Ariadne broke the awkward silence that had formed.

"Right here." Cobb walked in with James and Philipa. "Sorry I'm late. There were some… complications with the babysitter."

"Uncle Arthur!" Both kids exclaimed while running over to him. Each kid took one of his legs and hugged tightly.

"Hey, nice to see you too." He chuckled and ruffled their hair.

Ariadne felt a smile creep up to her lips when she saw how much Cobb's children liked Arthur.

"No love for lil ol' me?" Eames chuckled and held his arms open for a hug.

"Hey Brit!" Philipa said as she was scooped up in his arms.

"Yeah Brit!" James said as he hugged his leg.

"See? I told you that 'nickname' would stick, Arthur." He put Philipa down. "Now I'm going to be known as 'Brit' from now on." Eames plopped down on the couch as Arthur laughed at him.

Ariadne didn't expect any sort of greeting from the children; this was her first time seeing them in the flesh, and their first time seeing her. So she gave them a small smile before turning to her sketchbook.

"I think you guys know that since my kids are here, it'll be a relatively easy going day." Cobb said sighing.

"Don't worry Cobb." Ariadne said. "I'll get these mazes done as soon as I can and then tomorrow you can help me refine them." She gave him a reassuring smile.

Everyone got to their job. Cobb and Eames were talking about potential ideas to plant inside Starnes mind while keeping James and Philipa entertained. Ariadne continued to come up with different mazes. She finally settled on three sketches and started making them into models.

"Watcha doin?" A small voice came behind her. James was sitting on her chair watching her build mazes.

"I build mazes." She said smiling. "Want to try to see if you can solve one?"

"Yeah!" James said enthusiastically.

Ariadne quickly drew up a simple maze and gave it to him with a pencil. She explained to him what you had to do to 'win' and watched him get started. She went back to her work when five minutes later she felt a tug on her jacket.

"I'm done!" He had a big grin on his face and held up the paper for her to see.

"Good job! Now, can you make _me_ one?" She gave him a new sheet of paper. "It's harder than solving one. You think you're up for it?"

He grabbed the paper and bounced over to Cobb. "Daddy, help me make a maze." She heard him whisper to Cobb.

"Alright, come here." He picked up James and placed him on his knee. Ariadne laughed to herself and completed her first model.

"I didn't know you were good with kids." She heard Arthur say from his desk.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me." Ariadne sighed.

"Then tell me some things about you." He pressed on.

Ariadne's head snapped up. She looked at him like he asked her something in a different language. "Arthur, I'm seriously not in the mood for your games." She felt like she was talking to Eames.

"What games? I'm not playing any games." His face was calm.

Ariadne let out a frustrated sigh. She just couldn't figure out this guy! What was his problem? '_First he kisses you, then she doesn't hear from him in a year, then he shows up and starts acting lovey dovey and acts like a major prick and now he wants to 'learn more about you'. What the hell?' _Ariadne couldn't help but think these things.

Arthur decided to let it go; he could see her turning red with frustration. He felt like punching himself for being so bipolar with her. He could see how much she was affected by what he says.

The rest of the day passed by quickly. Ariadne played with James and Philipa every now-and-then and was pleasantly surprised that they warmed up to her so easily; they were even calling her Aunty Ari.

"Aunty Ari!" Philipa called out her name, giggling.

"What so funny?" She bent down to get to her level.

"Uncle Artie wants to have dinner with you." She said with a huge smile on her face; love was always gross or funny to little kids.

"Well can you do me a favor and tell him to ask me himself?" She said it in a tone that would seem harsh to her. Philipa nodded and Ariadne poked her cheeks before she ran off to tell Arthur.

Ariadne sat down with her back towards him but listened intently to hear his reaction. She heard his chuckle and imagined his eyes crinkling up and his smile wide. To Ariadne's surprise, it wasn't Philipa that came back to her, but Arthur. Her eyes followed him as he sat on the chair in front of her.

"So?" He said balancing the chair on the back legs.

"So… what?" Ariadne said looking for a distraction.

"Dinner. I want to have dinner… with you."

"Arthur…" She hesitated. "I don't know if that's a good idea. I'm really wiped out, I think I'll just go home." She started to gather her things and made her way to the door. She got outside and heard his footsteps behind her.

"Ariadne, please?" He gently grabbed her arm again. She turned around to face him "Please? Just give me a chance to explain some things." His lips turned down just the slightest and his eyes were pleading.

She fell for it. She fell for it! She never falls for the puppy dog eyes! But before she knew it, she said yes and was walking with him. It happened so fast that she couldn't remember most of the conversation they had.

"Did anyone ever tell you how persuasive you are?" She said, clearly frustrated with herself.

"I can be _very_ persuasive when I want to be." He grinned, looking at her. "You look really nice today."

"Give it a rest. I'm not going to forgive you so easily." She rolled her eyes. She had a feeling that she would forgive him way too easily.

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This was really hard to write. I tried to take into consideration not to rush things, so I made their relationship take one (huge) step back (sorry if you guys don't like that) to sort of 'restart' their relationship.

The next chapter will probably take a lot longer because I have no idea how I'm going to write the Inception part (open to suggestions, haha) and I'm going to Vegas. But I'll figure something out.

So in the meantime, review! Is there/it: not enough Arthur, not enough romance, going too fast or slow?

Thank you loves :)


	3. Chapter 3

(Let me start off by saying that the plan for and the actual Inception are going to be strikingly similar to the one in the movie. Why? Because my mind doesn't work like Nolan's and I can't come up with an original one. So, sorry in advance)

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Arthur opened the door to Ariadne's favorite restaurant and let her inside. Surprisingly, it wasn't a restaurant known for French cuisine, but an Italian restaurant. When they got to their table, he pulled out the chair for her and pushed it in when she sat down. In return she gave him a small smile.

"Why did you move to Paris if you like Italian food?" Arthur started the conversation before an awkward silence could form.

"I didn't move to Paris because of the food; I'm not that fond of the food. I would've moved to Italy, but Professor Miles was here and he's one of the best architect teachers. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about France except for the food, but I want to move to Italy sometime in the future. I love everything there is about Italy." She babbled on and on.

Arthur listened intently to her; he was serious when he said he wanted to learn more about her. Sure, he studied her background, but there was only so much information you could get from that method.

"So Italy is where you want to live next?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I don't want to _live_ there, but maybe just visit. For a long time." She bit her lip and smiled. "What about you? Have you ever been there?"

"Yes, I've visited. Had a friend over there, he showed me all the better, secluded spots, away from the tourist hype. I'll show you one day." He flashed a genuine smile at her.

"I expect a phone call from you in a few years." She said smiling.

Ariadne and Arthur began to loosen up as the aged wine flowed through their systems.

"So," Ariadne began. "How long have you and Eames known Cobb? His kids seem to really like you two."

"I've known him since I was twenty-one; that was also when he introduced me to the sharing dreams."

"How was Mal?" Ariadne quickly added.

"I thought the point of this dinner was for _me_ to get to know_ you_ better." He joked.

"Unlike _you_, I don't do background checks on coworkers." She grinned.

"She was very kind. Never said anything bad about anyone, and was nothing like Cobb's projection of her. She was a perfect match for Cobb; truly the other half of him." Suddenly, a memory of Mal popped up in her head.

'_Do you know what it's like to be a lover? One half of a whole?'_

An uncomfortable silence formed around them when their food arrived. Ariadne had thought she had gotten over fearing Mal, but hearing what she was like… triggered that memory.

"Ariadne?" His voice woke her up from her daze. "Everything alright?"

Ariadne blinked quickly and nodded her head at him. "Yeah. Everything's perfectly fine." She smiled.

"Alright then. So what's your favorite color?" He asked her.

Laughing softly she looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Really? Are you really asking me that question?" She smiled but continued when she realized it was a serious question. "It varies on my mood. But I guess if I had to wear one color for the rest of my life, I would pick… red." She said, thinking about it first. "What about you?"

"Blue." He answered without question. "A dark, midnight blue."

"I figured." She said laughing. "It matched your personality so well."

"Oh really? How so?" he raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.

"Well, dark blue, to me, means that a person is mysterious, cool, calm, relaxed, and maybe even rebellious. They're always in control and are very sure of themselves."

"You're probably the only person who's said that to me." He smiled and took a sip of his wine. He went on asking her general questions like, 'What's your favorite sport?' 'When's your birthday?' 'What's your favorite animal?'

"So what made you take this job again?" Arthur asked once she finished her plate of pasta.

Ariadne quickly wiped her mouth of any pasta sauce and thought about the question.

"Well, you can't really go back to how you were living once you've experienced it, can you? I mean, I haven't had a lucid dream since the Fisher case, so I can't build anything I want to. I guess I just… overlooked the fact that I could be stuck in limbo for the rest of my life. Once I made up my mind, there's no going back, really. And I enjoy it. I know it's illegal, but it's just… pure creation to me, and I would do anything to achieve what I can in dreams."

"Well, Cobb sure didn't tell you one thing." Arthur sighed. "Once you get a taste of it, it gets addicting. _Really_ addicting."

"Is that why you still do it?'

"Me? Partly. But I'm just… fascinated by the idea of sharing dreams. I just… never found being the Architect interesting, I guess." He and Ariadne laughed. "And if Cobb keeps me around, I guess I must be a pretty good Point man. I'm actually surprised I wasn't fired! My mistake could've cost everyone their lives, essentially. But enough of that, let's go for a walk, shall we?"

The duo walked slowly in the chilly Paris night. Surprisingly, not a lot of tourists were out roaming the streets. They approached a small bar on the way to Ariadne's apartment, and noticed a lot of shouting and cursing inside. Suddenly, the doors flew open and a man stumbled to the ground. Cursing and wiping his mouth, the man stood up and looked at the duo.

"Out on a little date, are we?"

"Oh god, Eames. You're drunk!" Ariadne rolled her eyes but made no effort to go and tend to his wounds.

"Ariadne, darling, I am most certainly _not_ _drunk_. I only had a few beers." His speech was slurred.

"_Sure_." She said, not convinced at all. "So why were you kicked out?"

"Some bloke tried to start a fight with me for '_flirting with his girl'_ or something. He started throwing punches, so I threw some back; _purely_ out of self defense, of course."

Arthur laughed, but said nothing. This was typical Eames. He started walking, tugging Ariadne with him.

"Oi! Where are you going?" Eames caught up with them. "Ohhhh, don't tell me you two were going to shag, now." He raised an eyebrow and had a sly look on his face.

"N-No, Eames!" Ariadne flushed pink and slapped his arm. "We can't just go out to dinner?"

"Whatever, darling." Eames slurred.

Ariadne and Arthur walked in a comfortable silence; Eames was blabbing on about something they didn't bother paying attention to. "Arthur, _darling_." He slung his arm around his neck. "Why don't you tell dear Ariadne how you _really_ feel?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Eames." Arthur said calmly. He most certainly didn't want to tell her in front of Eames; it was more of a personal conversation anyways.

"Oh _come on_ Arthur. You really don't think I know about the kiss you two shared while _on the job_?" He slurred. "Come, Arthur dear. Let out your true feelings. Go on, I won't tell a soul!"

"Get off of me." Arthur merely said and threw Eames' arm off of his shoulder.

"Well… Isn't that why you wanted to take me to dinner in the fist place?" came a small voice besides him.

"Well… yes. But I was under the impression that it would be _just the two of us_." Arthur said, the last part through his teeth.

"Just look at Eames!" Ariadne pointed to the drunk Brit. "Like hell he'll remember this tomorrow! He's drunk off his ass!" She stopped in front of her apartment complex.

"Can I ask you _one_ question pertaining to your 'true feelings'?" she sighed and turned around to face him.

"Can I at least walk you to your door and answer it without Eames present?" Arthur looked at the drunken Brit sitting on a park bench.

"Oh don't mind me, darlings. I'll just sit my pretty little head right here and wait for dear Arthur!" He waved to the duo.

Ariadne rolled her eyes and started walking up the stairs. "Come on." She motioned for Arthur to join her.

They climbed four flights before stopping in front of room 528. She fished out her keys from her pocket and looked at him. "Can I ask you now? Are we safe from the drunk man?"

Arthur said nothing but had an amused look in his eyes. He stood in front of her with his hands in his pockets.

Ariadne hesitated before asking, "Why did you kiss me?" She looked him dead in his eyes.

'_Shit. Saw it coming. Well, what are you going to tell her Arthur? Are you going to tell her the truth or lie? The whole reason you had dinner with her was to tell her how you really felt!'_ He broke eye contact with her and looked at his polished shoes.

Before he looked away, Ariadne could see the debating going on inside his mind. She wanted to just tell him, '_Just tell me the truth! Why is it so hard to let your true feelings out?'_ but she bit her tongue, knowing that would only cause problems.

"I… I don't know." Arthur spat out. "It… just seemed like a good plan to try to trick his subconscious…?" he said it like it was a question.

"Really?" Ariadne's lips were taught. "You really know how to be a jerk." She turned around and opened her apartment door quickly.

'_Shit! Stop her, idiot!'_ "Ariadne! Wait!" he reached out to try and grab her arm, but she slipped away into her apartment. "Ariadne! I didn't mean it, I just…. I just didn't know how to say it!"

"_Arthur, just go away." _He heard her say on the other side of the door.

"Ariadne! Please! Can I talk to you?" He pleaded with her. He waited until she responded, but her response never came. Letting out an aggravated sigh he left the complex. He yanked Eames off of his park bench and made sure his teammate got to his hotel.

"What's a matter, mate? You didn't get dumped now, did you?" Eames asked.

"Eames, if you don't shut up I swear, I _will_ punch you." Arthur sounded extremely aggravated.

"Alright, alright mate. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Eames said running his hand through his hair.

Both men stood in front of the Hotel du Louvre.

"Thanks, Arthur darling." Eames said with a wink and walked inside.

Arthur thought about punching Eames. His body was already planning on doing so without him giving permission for it to, but he decided not to. He relaxed his hand that was balled tightly into a fist and sighed again. He didn't need anymore tension in his team than he already did.

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_Thunk…. Thunk…thunk…thunk._ The sound of her bishop falling on her desk echoed through her room. Ariadne sat hunched over her desk; her elbow propped up her head. Her eyes were glossy (though she didn't allow herself to cry) and her mind was still processing everything that happened. Her fingers made themselves busy by tipping over, righting, then tipping over her bishop again.

'_What happened? Where did the conversation go wrong?'_ She knew the answer, but she wasn't one to blame someone for an argument. '_We were on the right path to becoming good friends again… why didn't you just let him inside? Give him another chance…'_ she went from blaming Eames to blaming herself, never a good sign. Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, she fell asleep on her desk, bishop clutched in her hand.

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Arthur didn't have much luck getting any sleep, either. He lay on his bed with his red, loaded die in his hands. He fixed himself an alcoholic beverage and sat it down on his nightstand. He was never one to get drunk or even tipsy, but he decided that he was in need of a good drink.

He took a sip of his martini and thought up a plan on how to right his situation. He couldn't exactly ask Ariadne out on another date. He was sure she wouldn't even look at him tomorrow… or the next day, or the day after that. Arthur usually got four to five hours of sleep, but he only managed to get an hour and a half this time.

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_**Bzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzz.**_ Ariadne grabbed the phone that was vibrating on her desk. She opened it and shut off her alarm before throwing it back on the desk. She had forgotten to turn off her alarm the night before. She debated getting up. She had finished her mazes; they didn't need her anymore, right? She could just stay home and sleep away her problems. But she decided against that decision. Cobb would most likely be discussing the plans today. So with that thought, Ariadne straightened herself and did some stretches to alleviate some of the pain in her back. She stood up and brewed herself some coffee before grabbing her towel and taking a quick shower.

Ariadne paid no attention while she was getting ready; she just threw on some clean clothes she had and hoped that it looked good. She was in no mood for planning what she was going to wear. She finished her coffee, poured whatever she had left into a thermos, and set out for the warehouse.

She didn't know what to expect. She didn't know if Eames would remember what he interrupted, or if he would be teasing them about it. She didn't even know if Eames would show up. She knew that with out a doubt that Arthur would be there, so avoiding him would prove to be difficult. Not knowing what she would be walking into, she opened the warehouse door and stepped inside.

She was almost surprised to see Yusef standing there with the three other men, but she put on a happy face and gave him a one-armed hug, completely ignoring the other three men.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming." She smiled softly.

"Who else would you get the sedative from?" He laughed. "I'm the only one who knows how to make it!"

She smiled and took a seat on the couch. "So, are we discussing how this whole thing is going to work?" She had to forget all about last night while they were discussing the plans. It would be counterproductive if she didn't.

"Yes, we were waiting for you to get here, actually." Cobb said taking a seat in one of the metal chairs. He opened the silver suitcase and pulled out a cord for each of them. Cobb waited for four nods before he pressed the button that released the sedative.

The team suddenly found themselves in an empty building.

"Right." Cobb nodded. "Arthur, what do you have on Starnes?"

"Okay." Arthur began. "So Victor Starnes is about to sign a contract in which China will buy the newest and biggest weapons. But his wife is insisting on a vacation before the contract is finalized. If Victor signs the contract, it will cause problems with Korea and Japan, so there will be a higher risk of an assassination attempt."

"I talked to our employer and he made arrangements for us to go on the same plane as Starnes. It should be like the Fischer case. And we'll have to sedate the wife too." Cobb added.

"We're bringing his wife into this as well?" Ariadne calmly asked.

"No, we'll just give her the sedative so she won't try to wake her husband and cause a scene."

"So I'm guessing I'll be playing the wife?" Eames asked.

"You'll be impersonating the wife, Gia, and his business partner, Liam."

"Right, so we'll go with, 'Liam wants me to sign the contract because he'll take over the company once I get assassinated.' Or something along those lines."

"Exactly. Then you'll impersonate the wife and have her provide proof that Liam wants Victor dead." Ariadne said. "Right?"

"Exactly." Cobb nodded his head, giving her a 'good job' look. "I also think we'll go three dreams deep again. In the first level, we'll be in a hotel and I'll go with Mr. Charles again. I'll tell Victor why Liam wants him to sign the contract as soon as he gets back and then you two, he pointed to Arthur and Ariadne, will bring in Eames who will be impersonating his wife, Gia. Then we'll have Victor's projection of Liam come in, and Victor will, essentially, help us go further into his subconscious. Oh and Yusef, you'll stay behind to watch all of our bodies."

Yusef nodded; relieved he wouldn't have to deal with gunfire. "Thank god. I'm just the Chemist." He added softly with a smile.

"Is everyone clear on everything?" Cobb asked. There was silence, so he took it as a 'yes' and waited the short while for the sedative to wear off.

Ariadne woke up to see Cobb rip off the tape that held the IV needle in place and get up quickly. She saw the same movements being mimicked by Arthur and Eames. Ariadne could never understand how they could 'wake up' so easily; the sedative always left her feeling groggy. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and got up slowly.

"Come on Eames, I'll show you the maze I designed for the first level." Ariadne said and beckoned him to follow her. When she got to her desk she held up the three-dimensional maze and showed him how to navigate through it. Which left turns would be the quickest or slowest. After explaining, asking questions, and answering questions, Eames said he had all the information he needed and went on to study Gia and Liam.

"Cobb, can I ask you a question?" Ariadne asked.

"Sure." Came a simple response.

"Will there be… any chance that Mal will come back?" She didn't know how to soften a question pertaining to the projection of his dead wife that tried to put all of them in limbo.

Cobb hesitated for a long second before looking up from his desk. "No, there won't be any sighting of her." He said, looking Ariadne in the eyes and then going back to his work. Ariadne didn't want to let out a loud relieved sigh, so she settled for combing her hair back with her fingers and giving a _very_ soft, but relieved, sigh.

Ariadne had decided that she deserved some time to herself. So was getting her things ready to go for a walk to clear her head when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and her nose filled with beautiful scents of cologne, clean sheets, and the 'Arthur' scent. She let the scents fill her head for a second before looking him in his eyes.

"Is there something you want?" she asked with the smallest hint of attitude. She pursed her lips and shifted her weight to one leg.

"Yes," He retrieved his hand. "I believe you need to show me the maze. You don't want me going in there blind, do you?" he gave a ghost smile.

Ariadne muttered something along the lines of, 'I'm not so sure about that…' put her bag down, and shrugged off her coat. Of course, Arthur heard her and chuckled lightly.

"Come on," Ariadne said. "I wanted to go out, you know."

"Alright, alright." Arthur said following her. "Maybe I'll join you." He teased and smiled widely. Ariadne turned around and shot a partly serious glare at him.

"Only in your dreams, Arthur." She turned around and smiled ever so slightly.

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Thank you for all the reviews loves! They give me a lot of insight on how/what to write for chapters :) Although sometimes I read them too late and I can't tamper with it, so sorry if you aren't satisfied ;P

To that anonymous reviewer: To be honest, I never really got the idea of totems so thank you for making it a lot more clear for me. And thank you for pointing out my mistakes. I, literally, re-read all my chapters over and over again, but still, some things slip through the cracks. I'll be sure to keep a better eye out!

And last but not least, thank you for all the compliments! Perhaps I'll write a fic about Eames next ;P

Oh! And a heads up, I'm heading out to Arizona soon, but don't worry, I'm taking my computer! So hopefully I'll be able to get two chapters done!


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